ARTWORK & PRINTING RESOURCES

Preparing and sending artwork

Sending Files
File Formats
Client Proof Copy
Pre-Print Checking
Layouts
Fonts
Colour Matching
Photographs & Graphics

We specialise in printing orders made through our Website.

However we take a pride in our flexibility and are happy to accept artwork by Email, by Post or even delivered by hand.

We like to think of our relationship as a partnership and, as with any partnership, a great outcome depends on partners working together. Please check the Artwork guidance notes below which will ensure that your work proceeds quickly and efficiently to a successful outcome to the benefit of everyone.

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Sending Files
If your files are less than 5mbs in size, you can send them by email. For any files, or larger in size than 5mbs, you can use the Upload facility on our navigation bar. Full instructions are shown on Upload.

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File Formats
We use the very latest Adobe PDF Rip in our Prepress department and our workflow is based on working with files in PDF format. Ideally you should send your files to us in this format. The PDF should be prepared at press quality.

Alternatively we can accept files in flattened Tif (Tiff) or Jpg (Jpeg) format. The files should be at the correct size for print. The disadvantage of sending files in this format is that all text and graphics will be Bitmap rather than Vector quality. If the file is sent at 300dpi resolution then in our experience the results are generally considered acceptable.

We are also pleased to accept virtually every other file format there is. We list here the most common formats which we receive. The list is not exhaustive. If your application is not listed please check with us.

Adobe Creative Suite - all versions Mac, PC up to CS4
Corel Draw - Mac, PC up to version 11
Macromedia Freehand - Mac up to MX
Microsoft Office & Publisher - PC up to 2003
Quark Express - Mac up to version 7

PLEASE NOTE: We make a nominal charge of £20.00 + VAT to work with files which are not supplied as a PDF.

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Client Proof Copy
We will always supply a proof for approval prior to print. We produce three different types of proofs:

PDF proof: These are sent digitally via Email. They are ideal for checking layout and content but are not colour accurate and so are of little use when there are issues of colour, such as matching to a House Colour.

Laser Proof: These are sent by post and provide something tangible to look at. Again these are not colour accurate and their use is limited to content and layout proofing.

Wet proof: These are an exact match to the job which will eventually be printed since they are a small run of the finished job on press. We would always recommend a small run of print (to be used as a wet proof) prior to any very large run of print.

PLEASE NOTE: We will not be liable for any mistakes in the final printed product that we supply you, if it is due to errors on the artwork in terms of layout, text, colour, content and spelling and which has been approved by you, the customer.

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Pre Print Checking
We will automatically carry out Pre-flighting of your job prior to print.

Should we find potential issues with the files you have provided we would work with you to resolve the problems. It may be that a new file is required or alternatively we can often correct the issues. This may be charged for extra.

Before sending your job please make sure that the artwork is centred within the selected document size. Should your job be double sided then a 2 page PDF will need to be supplied with the artwork central on the page.

PLEASE NOTE: We will not be liable for any mistakes in the final printed product that we supply to you, if it is due to errors on the artwork supplied by you, the customer, in terms of layout, text, colour, content, spelling and quality of photographs and logos.

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Layouts
Please supply everything 'one up'. It is more successful if you leave us to sort out the the layout for printing. e.g. provide one business card on a 90mm x 50mm or 85mm x 55mm page.

Booklets should either be in separate files for each page or number order pages (we will sort out the printers' pairs).

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Fonts
We carry all the most popular Mac and PC fonts, please confirm at the time of ordering.

Where you have used a rare font outside the 'normal' range we recommend converting the text created with this font into curves. This means that we no longer require the original font when we print your job.

Where you are supplying your work as a PDF it should always be produced with fonts embedded. With a Tif or Jpg, fonts are much less of an issue since these formats effectively embed the fonts required to print.

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Colour Matching
There are a large number of variables which can affect the colour produced in Full Colour Printing. Simply looking at the appearance of colours on a monitor, especially if no monitor calibration has been carried out is unlikely to produce predictable printed results.

In just the same way an un-calibrated desktop printer, such as a laser or inkjet may well produce very different colours to those produced on a professional printing press.

Rather than leaving colour matching to chance and 'keeping your fingers crossed' we strongly recommend that colours be chosen from Hard Copy Colour Charts. We have produced two Colour Swatch Booklets (one printed on Coated material and the other on Uncoated material) which show over 1000 colours together with their CMYK values. The advantage of using these charts is that they are exactly matched to our presses.

Our Colour Swatch Booklets are available for £15.00 + VAT & Carriage each or £20.00 + VAT for the pair. They are an invaluable and accurate way of ensuring predictable colour.

PLEASE NOTE: Where you have a particular colour issue, for example a requirement to match to a specific company colour or a previously printed job, this MUST be brought to our attention at the order stage.

If you have a swatch of the colour required please send us a hard copy of that. We cannot be held responsible if your printed work does not match your requirements unless those requirements are brought to our attention before we print.

There are standard trade tolerances for colour printing and matching. The only ideal way of producing an accurate colour match is by first producing a full colour printed proof. This can be done by printing all or part of a job on which there may be a colour query.

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Photographs & Graphics
Photographs should be scanned size for size at 300dpi and saved as CMYK images (the only exception to the CMYK rule is images for Hexachrome Printing which should be sent as RGB).

We can re-touch photos, cut out backgrounds, make good blemishes, etc. The cost of these additional services would be advised prior to ordering.

In preparing your artwork remember about:

Bleed: 3mm

Colour scheme: CMYK

PDF Pre-requisites:
300dpi resolution image files
Text needs to be converted to paths
Transparencies need to be flattened
'Overprint' needs to be turned off when originating files